Window shade construction



June 1, 1965 H. LEVITAS 3,135,474

WINDOW SHADE CONSTRUCTION I Filed Sept. 18, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTOR. HARRY LEVITAS June 1, 1965 Filed Sept 18, 1963 H. LEVITAS3,186,474

I WINDOW SHADE CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet '2 June 1, 1965 H. LEYITASWINDOW SHADE CONSTRUCTION INVENTOR mm HARRY LEVITAS United States Patent3,186,474 WINDOW SHADE CONSTRUCTION Harry Levitas, 1236 Virginia Ave.,Bronx, N.Y. Filed Sept. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 309,778 1 Claim. (Cl.160-238) This invention relates to the art of window shades and moreparticularly concerns a window shade con-' movable panels attached byconcealed slide fasteners which can be partially disengaged to separatethe panels for draping at opposite sides of the window.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a window shade in extendedposition, according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 2-2 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view, par tially in section,taken on line 33 of FIG. 2, parts being shown broken away.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged rear elevational view of a panelforming part of the window shade.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another window shade according tothe invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary rear view of the window shade, partsbeing broken away.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a panel of the window shade of FIG. 5, partbeing broken away;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the window shade of FIG. 5, shown in a drapedposition.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 10-10 ofFIG. 9. 7

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4 a window shadeincluding a rectangular panel 22 made of plastic or cloth sheetmaterial. The bottom edge of the panel may be scalloped or finished inany other decorative manner. A binding 24 may be applied to the bottomedge and a pull cord 25 with an ornamental Weight 26 may be attached tothe bottom edge of the panel.

Attached to the upper horizontal edge of the panel 22 by stitching 28,by cement or other suitable means, is a stringer tape 29 having teeth 30thereon forming part of a slide fastener 32. Another stringer tape 33 isattached by stitching 34 or other suitable attachment means just abovethe bottom edge 35 of a narrow generally rectangular panel 36 at therear thereof; see FIG.

4 The bottom edge of this panel can be scalloped or finished in someother decorative manner.

Stringer tape 33 carries slide fastener teeth 38 which engage with teeth30 when the slider 39 of slide fastener 32 is pulled fully across theshade to the right as viewed in FIG. 3. The slide fastener extendstransversely across the window shade and is normally concealed behindthe bottom end of panel 36 which hangs like a valance in ice front ofthe panel 22. The upper end of panel 36 is woundon and secured to awindow shade roller 40 of conventional type. This roller has an internalspring 42 for rolling up the shade 20 thereon. A fixed round pin 43 androtatable flat pin 44 are provided on the roller in the usual manner forengaging on window shade brackets of conventional type (not shown).

The left end of the tape 33 has a stop element 45 secured thereto toprevent removal of slider 39. The left end of tape 29 has a horizontallyextending toothless pin 46 which enters element' 45. This pin permitsthe slider 39 to disengage from teeth 30 so that the entire panel 22 canbe detached from panel 36.

At the right end of tapes 29 and 33 are stop elements 47, 48 whichprevent the slider 39 from coming off of the slide fastener.

If the shade 22 is rolled up on the roller beyond panel 36, then panel22 will be rolled up on the roller and panel 36 will be concealed. Whenthe shade is extended as shown in FIG. 1, the bottom valance portion ofthe panel 36 conceals the slide fastener 32 at the front and provides anattractive curtained appearance to the window at which the shade ismounted. The panel 22 can easily be removed by sliding the slider 39across the window shade fully to the left as viewed in FIG. 3. The panelcan be removed for cleaning. If desired, another panel 22 of differentcolor and appearance can be substituted and attached to panel 36. e InFIGS. 5, 6 and 7 is shown another window shade 20 This shade has upperpanel 36 wound on roller 40*. Attached tothe rear side of this panelnear the bottom edge thereof are upper ends 49*, 49 of two slidefastener stringers 50 50 These upper ends extend horizontally inalignment with each other from the center of the panel outwardly toouter right and left edges of the panel; see FIG. 7. The stringers 50 50are turned downward at the center of panel 36* and have abutting edgessecured by stitching 52 to a vertically disposed elongated narrow strip54 which is secured to the center of the panel 36 and extends downwardlyfrom the lower edge thereof. The stringers 50 50 are secured to the rearside of strip 54; see FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. At the bottom end of strip 54 isan eyelet 55 in which pull cord 56 is engaged. At the bottom end of cord56 is ornamental weight 58. Stringer tapes 50 50 have teeth 60, 60extending downwardly from horizonal top portions 49 49 and laterallyoutward to the right and left at the rear of strip 54. The tapes 50 50"and teeth 60*, 60 form parts of a double slide fastener assembly 65which is concealed behind strip 54. The upper end of strip 54 is securedby stitching 51 to panel 36*.

Two generally rectangular panels 66*, 66 are removably attached to thepanel 36*. A stringer tape 68 secured by stitching 67 extends along thetop and one lateral edge of each panel. Teeth 69 extend outwardly oftape 68 at top and lateral edge thereof and engage with teeth 60* or 60;see FIG. 9. The two panels as shown in FIG. 5 present forwardlyonedecorative design D and present another decorative design D rearwardly.Sliders 70 70 of the slide fastener assembly are held on the assembly bystop elements 72, 74 at opposite ends of the tapes 50 50 Toothless pins73 at upper ends of tapes 68 permit the sliders 70 70 to be disengagedfrom teeth 69 and to facilitate engagement of the sliders on teeth 69.Thus the panels 66*, 66 can be entirely removed from and replaced onpanel 36*. Other parts corresponding to those of FIGS. 1-4 areidentically numbered.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show Window shade 20 partially rolled up on roller 40 Thestrip 54 can be grasped and used to adjust the shade on the roller andto turn the roller. When the sliders 70 70 are moved part way up thestrip makes it possible to provide a curtain with gatheredpanels i ofadjustable length at the window on which the'window shade is mounted.The'upper'e'xposed portion of strip 54 conceals the doubleslide fastenerassembly, and the lower portions of stringer tapes'168 are conce'aled:in the folds of. the gatheredportions 66of the'pan'els. .The doubleslid-er arrangement alsomakesit possible to change the decorativeappearance of the Window shade'by reversing the panels. Panel '66 shownat the leftin-FIG. 5 can beremoved and reversed and then attached inplace of panel '66 'whi'ch in turn will be removed, reversedand attachedat the left in place of panel 66 The invention thus makes itpossible toprovide a quickly interchangeable and replaceable decorative windowtreatment and dressing.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not'limit myself'to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes andmodifications may be made within the scope of the invention as definedin the appended claim. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new, anddesiretosecure by United States-Letters Patent A window shade comprisinga roller, a first generally rectangular panel having. an upper marginalend secured to the roller and a free lower marginal end, a verticallydisposed'elongated narrow strip which is secured at its upper end to acenter portion of said panel and extends i a downwardly from the loweredge of said panel, a slide fastener assembly comprising a pair of firststringer tapes secured to and extending along the rear side of said longstrip, said stringer tapes having upper ends extending laterally of thelong strip and secured in alignment to the front side of the first panelon a line above the bottom end thereof, said first panel overhanging andconcealing the upper ends of the long, narrow strip and first stringertapes, a pair of long rectangular other panels, said other panels eachhaving a second stringer tape secured to one lateral edgeand one endedge thereof, the pair of first stringer tapes having spacedteeththereon, the second stringer tapes having spaced other teethengageable'with the teeth of the first stringer tapes, and-a pairofsliders on' the first stringer tapes for engaging and disengaging theteeth of each first stringer tape with the teeth of one of the secondstringer tapes, whereby the second panels are attachable to the firstpanel and to said strip, said first and second stringer tapes beingarranged so that the sliders disengage the'teeth of the first and'secondstringer tapes as the sliders are moved upwardly from the outer bottomend of the long, narrow strip toward the first panel, the bottom ends ofthe second panels being adapted to be disengaged in order to be gatheredinto folds simulating draped curtains.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON R.MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

